Oman Hosts Technology and Innovation Support Centres’ Meeting: Key Opportunities for Business Growth and Investment
MUSCAT, NOVEMBER 5, 2025 — The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP), successfully hosted the regional meeting of Technology and Innovation Support Centres (TISCs) on November 5, 2025. The two-day event, organised in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), gathered representatives from across the Arab region, alongside intellectual property and innovation experts.
In her opening address, Nasra bint Sultan al Habsiyah, Director General of Commerce at MoCIIP, highlighted the importance of hosting the meeting. She stated, “Hosting this meeting demonstrates Oman’s strong commitment to enhancing the intellectual property ecosystem and fostering an environment conducive to innovation, in alignment with Oman Vision 2040’s objective of building a knowledge-based economy.”
She further emphasized, “Since our cooperation with WIPO began in 2021, we have expanded the TISC network within Oman, providing high-quality services that empower researchers and innovators to access global knowledge resources and develop economically valuable projects. Over the past two days, specialised training workshops were conducted for focal points within the national TISC network, aimed at improving national expertise in patent analysis and intellectual property databases, while strengthening the role of academic and research institutions in supporting the innovation ecosystem.”
Dr. Maha Bakhit Zaki, Minister Plenipotentiary and Head of the Intellectual Property and Competitiveness Department at the League of Arab States, elaborated on the importance of TISCs in the Arab region. She explained, “The Technology and Innovation Support Centres initiative, launched by WIPO in 2009, has been embraced by numerous Arab countries that recognise these centres’ essential role in linking researchers and inventors with resources critical for securing funding and transforming ideas into market-ready products.”
She added, “TISCs offer comprehensive support throughout the innovation process—from concept development to creating industrially applicable inventions. The region, including Oman, has seen notable growth in these centres, with some Arab countries hosting over 150.”
Dr. Zaki observed, “These centres have become catalysts for economic, cultural, and social development, promoting industrial progress and regional prosperity. At the League of Arab States, our goal is to aid the shift toward a knowledge-based economy. This meeting advances our cooperation with WIPO and Arab nations to enhance these centres and create an Arab Innovation Network, which will link national innovation hubs across the region.”
The first day of the conference featured opening remarks by various officials and included a review of the latest developments in the TISC programme, alongside country-specific case studies on managing and expanding TISC networks.
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Oman’s hosting of the regional TISC meeting highlights its strategic commitment to becoming a knowledge-based economy under Vision 2040, offering a significant boost to its innovation ecosystem. This creates opportunities for businesses to leverage enhanced intellectual property support and access global knowledge resources, while smart investors should now focus on ventures that harness these R&D capabilities and IP frameworks to drive sustainable growth and regional collaboration.
